The morning sun filtered weakly through the sheer curtains of Zaria’s penthouse, casting pale gold across the polished floors. For the first time in years, she had not woken to silence but to a storm.
The shrill buzz of her phone had started before dawn, messages piling in faster than she could read them. Screenshots of news headlines filled her inbox.
“Heiress Revealed: Zaria Veylan Steps Into the Spotlight.”
“Cross Global’s Secret Weapon Is No Secret Anymore.”
“From Luna to Legacy: Who Is Zaria Veylan?”
Her face was everywhere smiling beneath the chandelier, diamonds blazing at her throat, her hand resting lightly against Damian’s arm. She had become the story overnight.
Zaria sat on the edge of her bed, hair tumbling down her shoulders, a cup of coffee cradled between her palms. F
